How to Tell the Difference Between a Real Star Sapphire & a Fake One

Written by lane cummings

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With a keen eye you can tell a real sapphire from a fake. (saphir et diamants image by pgm from Fotolia.com)

A sapphire is a blue corundum gemstone. "Sapphire is the most precious of blue gemstones," the website minerals.net says. "It is a most desirable gem due to its colour, hardness, durability, and lustre." Because of the gem's desirability, some try to pass off a fake sapphire made of glass as the genuine article. With a sharp eye, though, you can tell the difference between the real thing and a fake.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Magnifying glass or jeweller's loupe

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Instructions

1

Place the sapphire under a jeweller's loupe or magnifying glass. Look for tiny bubbles in the blue stone, which indicate the sapphire is a fake made of glass.

2

Keep the sapphire underneath the magnifying glass or jeweller's loupe. Look for tiny scratches on the stone. Tiny scratches are telltale signs of glass.

3

Take the sapphire out from under the magnifying glass or jeweller's loupe and examine the facets. If they look simple or rounded you most likely have a fake. A real sapphire has "sharp, crisp cuts," according to TheDiamond.com

4

Turn the sapphire upside down and look at the setting. A bezel setting, with a band of metal surrounding the stone, or a closed-back setting are commonly used with fake stones.